1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to glass forehearths which deliver a stream of molten glass to a spout bowl of a glass feeder which discharges vertical runners of molten glass, These runners are sheared into discrete gobs for processing through a glassware forming machine such as an I,S, or H-28 machine.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,552,579 illustrates a state of the art forehearth which has a plurality of cooling zones followed by an equalizing zone. The cooling zones are identical and are divided into three parallel channels by a pair of projections which project downwardly from the roof. During normal operation (an equilibrium operating state) heat is added to the side channels and removed from the central channel of these cooling zones as the molten glass flows through the forehearth. The length of the forehearth is defined for a specified maximum flow rate and accordingly, the forehearth will not operate optimally should the demand for molten glass (flow rate) be substantially reduced. Heated air in the side channels can be pulled into the central channel during start-up to reduce the start-up time (EPO Patent Application No. 0503883A1), but during normal operation, such will be discontinued.